In the Convention, "enforced disappearance" is defined as the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorisation, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law.

5 new independent experts from Spain, Peru, France, Senegal, and Germany were elected to the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) for the period 2019-2023. CED is the body that monitors the implementation of the Convention by its States Parties, examines reports by all States Parties, addresses their concerns, and gives recommendations to the States Parties in the form of concluding observations.

The Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance has been ratified by 60 contracting states. Lithuania ratified the Convention in 2013.